Changes to Healthcare Benefits

Normally, changes to benefits occur during open enrollment. However, significant life
events can affect an employee's benefits or benefit eligibility, creating a need for
change at other times during the year. Examples of such qualifying life events include
marriage, divorce, birth, adoption or changing employment status from full-time to
part-time.

Most benefits changes are effective the first of the month after the appropriate completed
forms are received and processed by HR.

Qualifying Events

Employment Status Changes

An employee's employment status can change from full-time to part-time, part-time
to full-time, at the end of employment, due to retirement, or because of a leave of
absence.

Possible changes that can occur due to an employment status change include:

Health or dental plan termination when employment changes from full-time to part-time,
part-time to full-time or at the end of employment

Enrollment in health or dental plans for employees appointed at less than 100% who
waived health and/or dental insurance when their appointment is increased to 100%

Cost of insurance benefit increased to 100% for employees on unpaid leave of absence

Employees on FMLA may be eligible for continued employer contributions. Employees on unpaid leave of
absence can cancel health or dental plans and reinstate coverage when returning from
leave or transfer coverage if their spouse is employed by the university and enrolled
in a health or dental plan.

Family Status Changes

Spouse and dependent changes include marriage, legal separation, divorce, birth, adoption
or a dependent reaching the age of 26.

Possible changes that can occur due to a family status change include:

Dependents can be added or deleted from health or dental plans

The annual flex benefit plan healthcare election can be increased or decreased in
the case of marriage, divorce, birth, adoption or death

The annual dependent care flex benefit plan election can be increased or decreased

HIPAA Changes

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act allows employees to enroll
in coverage or add dependents to their existing health and dental plans if the change
is consistent with a qualifying event and the following requirements are met:

Employees have 31 days from their benefits-eligible appointment dates to enroll in
health and dental plans when they are hired.

Employees have 31 days from the birth date or the date the child is placed in the
home for adoption to add a new child to health and dental plans.

Employees have 31 days from the date of a marriage to add a spouse to health and dental
plans.

Employees can enroll or enroll their dependents in coverage at a later date if one
of the following are true:

Waived coverage as new employees

Neglected to enroll within 31 days of their benefits eligibility dates

Chose not to cover their dependents

Neglected to enroll new dependents within 31 days of the qualifying event date

AND one of these qualifying events occurs:

Eligibility for COBRA coverage ceases

Employee and/or dependent ceases to be eligible for other coverage, and coverage is
not voluntarily cancelled

Employer contributions for other coverage ceases

Employee is court-ordered to provide coverage for a dependent

To be eligible for enrollment, request the appropriate form from the HR Expert, completed and return within 31 days after the date of the qualifying event to:

Effective Date of Coverage

Health and dental plan coverage will be effective as listed below as long as the 31
day enrollment period requirement is met:

Coverage retroactive to date of birth or date child placed in home for adoption

Coverage for a new spouse effective the first day of the month following the date
completed forms are received by HR

Coverage for enrollment or added dependents due to a HIPAA qualifying event begins
the first day of the month following the date completed forms are received by HR

Your actual rights and benefits are governed by the official medical, dental and vision plan descriptions.

Add or Remove Dependents

Adding Dependents

Dependents can be added to medical, dental or vision plans during the open enrollment
period or within 31 days of an eligible qualifying event. Dependent documentation is required any time you are enrolling dependents to your UA insurance plans.

During an open enrollment period, employees can enroll or add dependents to their
health or dental plan without a qualifying event. The University of Arkansas System
Office determines if and when open enrollment periods will occur.

Eligible qualifying events for health and dental insurance are marriage, birth, placement
in the home for adoption, loss of eligibility for other coverage and employer contributions
for other coverage ceasing. Eligible qualifying events for vision insurance are marriage,
birth and placement in the home for adoption. If you are more than 31 days from a
qualifying event date, you may not be able to add your dependent to your health or
dental plans until the next open enrollment period. Contact an HR Expert for assistance with late enrollments.

See the section above for the effective dates of coverage for particular qualifying
events.

Note: Employees who are covering at least one child on a health or dental plan are
encouraged to add new dependents within 31 days of birth. Eligible qualifying events
for vision insurance are marriage, birth or placement in the home for adoption. Because
the employee is enrolled in a family plan, there is no additional cost, no need to
add dependents during open enrollment, and dependents are covered.